AT&T says they’ll double 3G capacity

When the iPhone 3G was first released last summer many users complained of the slow 3G network. AT&T and Apple advertisments claimed the new 3G network was twice as fast, but in many locations that was not the case. This even brough lawsuits agains Apple both in the United States and in Europe. Well is looks like AT&T is looking to squash that problem by doubling the capacity of their current 3G network. They plan on boosting bandwidth with software enhancements before they change over to a downlink speeds of 21 Mbps. The 3G network currently is at 7.2 Mbps but many claim they haven’t even experienced 3.6 Mbps in urban areas that AT&T claimed. It is reported that AT&T plans to migrate their 3G network to an evolved HSPA to help triple peak speeds to 21 Mbps. With plans for 4G LTE in 2011 we wonder if it’s even worth the effort? AT&T says:

“AT&T isn’t just adding capacity through upgrades; it’s also adding HSPA carriers at many cellsites. “It’s being done on a market-by-market basis,” McElroy said. “We’re adding second and even third carriers according to demand.”

-Ray